Sri Lanka Cricket Board To Start Hearing Against Three Suspended National Players In Bio-Bubble Breach Case On Thursday

Sri Lanka Cricket board will start hearing against the three national cricketers Kusal Mendis, Danushka Gunathilaka, and Niroshan Dickwella in the bio-bubble breach case on Thursday (July 29). Vice-captain Kusal Mendis, wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella and Danushka Gunathilaka were found guilty of breaking bio-bubble during the recent England tour.

Earlier, videos and images of these cricketers while roaming in the Durham marketplace went viral. As a result, they were suspended by the board and were ordered for immediate return from the England tour. As per Covid-19 protocols, players have to follow bio-bubble rules and regulations during a tournament.

Sri Lanka Cricket Board To Start Hearing On Thursday

According to sources in SLC, these players have been given show cause notice and their hearings will start on Thursday (July 29). A source told Deccan Chronicle newspaper that these players are allowed to bring their lawyers or representatives but they cannot interfere with the hearings.

A panel will hear their plea on the matter. The members of the panel are Justice Nimal Dissanayaka (Retired Judge of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka), Panduka Keerthinanda, (Attorney-at-Law), Asela Rekawa (Attorney-at-Law), Uchitha Wickremasinghe (Attorney-at-Law), and Major General (Retired) M. R. W. De Zoysa.

The Sri Lanka tour of England was conducted from June 23 to July 4 this year. The series consisted of three T20I matches followed by 3 ODI games. Ahead of the 1st ODI, Kusal Mendis, Danushka Gunathilaka, and Niroshan Dickwella were found breaching the bio-bubble.

Some videos and images got viral on social media in which these players were seen roaming in the streets in Durham city of England. On receiving the news, the SLC board suspended them and called for their immediate return from the series. Due to suspension, these three players are also absent from ongoing India vs Sri Lanka 2021 series.

During the three-match T20I series, England bagged a whitewash against the visitors. The Eoin Morgan-led English side defeated Sri Lanka in the 1st match by 8 wickets. They also won the 2nd and 3rd T20I by 5 wickets and 89 runs respectively. In the ODI series, the visitors lost the 1st match by 5 wickets and the 2nd match by 8 wickets. The 3rd ODI was washed out due to rain. Hence, Sri Lanka faced a whitewash in both the T20I and ODI series.